Questions around the Adobe Flash Player Removal Tool (KB4577586)

So Microsoft have just released a tool to fully-remove Adobe Flash Player from Windows 8.x or 10 systems:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4577586/update-for-removal-of-adobe-flash-player

I’m a little confused what this update will actually do though, so if anyone is more clued-up and can answer any of these points I’d appreciate it:

Does this only remove the preinstalled (ActiveX) flash in Windows 8.x and 10 systems, or does it also remove the NPAPI version, used by Firefox?

Does it stop Flash from working inside Chromium browsers, such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, or will it only affect IE and legacy Edge (or any-other browser that relies on the ActiveX plug-in version)?

As Windows 7 is not mentioned as a supported platform for the update, then I’m guessing after Dec 31, 2020 that Flash content will continue to work inside IE11?

Has anyone heard if Adobe plans to do a remote-update after Dec 31, 2020 to remotely uninstall or disable their Flash Player, or is this purely left to the OS and browser makers only?

Thanks

(Also, on a side-note: is the “Adobe Shockwave Player” also dying on the same date, and is “Adobe Air” still supported, as the last update for it was released in April of last-year…)

Conversation 4 comments

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    29 October, 2020 - 3:22 am

    <p>As it is a Windows update, it can only affect Flash provided with the operating system, so Chrome and Firefox will retain their versions. It will remove it from IE and Edge.</p><p>Windows 7 is not under support, so it is up to you to manually disable / remove Flash, if you are still using Windows 7.</p><p>I haven't used Flash for several years and don't have it activated on any of my computers, so I can't say how this works in practice.</p>

    • lvthunder

      Premium Member
      29 October, 2020 - 10:37 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#589446">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Adobe pushed an update to the version that you install to get it into Firefox that uninstalled it. At least it did on my desktop PC.</p>

      • wright_is

        Premium Member
        29 October, 2020 - 10:49 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#589507">In reply to lvthunder:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yeah, I haven't used it in Firefox since around 2010, so nothing to remove here, so I couldn't test.</p>

  • neilwick

    21 December, 2020 - 8:37 pm

    <p>After January 11, 2021, Flash Player will refuse to play content, although there is a configuration file that will allow that to be overridden for specific websites.</p><p><br></p><p>Google will disable the Flash Player from working in Chrome sometime in early January, so it won't work in Chrome anymore anyway. (Currently, Flash Player is built into Chrome. It does not use a plugin.)</p><p><br></p><p>Adobe Shockwave Player was discontinued in October, 2019.</p><p><br></p><p>Adobe AIR is still continuing, but support and development of new versions is moving over to Harman.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

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